Aisha Nyandoro
Aisha Nyandoro is the founding CEO of Springboard to Opportunities, a Jackson, MS nonprofit that uses a “radically resident-driven” approach to end generational poverty. She is a third generation descendent of a family dedicated to advocating for those whose voices have been silenced. Growing up, her dining table was more like a round table; each sitting was a forum where minds met to discuss social issues. Although the problems and challenges faced by the community were discussed in detail, the conversation did not end there. The ultimate goal was to create solutions. These early dinner conversations helped Aisha develop a deep love for community and people, which ultimately led her to found Springboard To Opportunities and develop The Magnolia Mother’s Trust (MMT).
In 2018, very few organizations were thinking about guaranteed income. But Aisha knew from her family that one can make magic out of what Lucille Clifton calls “starshine and clay.” Most importantly, she believed that the stories and voices of families mattered, and they were saying they didn’t need another program – they needed cash. What started as a small pilot with 20 moms has grown into the longest-running guaranteed income project in the country, and the first to take a racial and gender equity approach challenging long-standing narratives of deservedness. Not only has the Magnolia Mother’s Trust supported over 400 moms to date, this initiative has ushered in a movement of guaranteed income programs in this country, changing the way we talk about deservedness, agency and trust.
In addition to leading Springboard’s community work and growing the Magnolia Mother’s Trust exponentially, Aisha is focused on shifting gendered and racialized narratives around poverty and deservedness, and working to show how the success of MMT can be scaled nationally through policies like the expanded Child Tax Credit and a federal guaranteed income. She recently testified on Capitol Hill, sharing the success of MMT and calling on members of Congress to reform the safety net to offer direct cash to finally end poverty.
Aisha is an unapologetic servant leader, connecting her passion and purpose instilled in her during those dinnertime conversations into her leadership and carrying on the dreams of generations of Black women before her. Her expertise on economic, racial and gender justice issues is regularly featured in outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR Essence Magazine, NBC Nightly News and CNN. She has received several prestigious fellows including: Ascend at the Aspen Institute, The Highland Project and W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network. She is a 2022 McNulty Prize Winner and the 2022 Disrupter Change Champion from Community Change. She holds a B.A. from Tennessee State University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Michigan State University. When not working to liberate financial capital, she is a wife and mom to two very charming sons.
